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tiny_world.py
python · 159 lines
"""
tiny_world.py
A Tuesday afternoon experiment
I'm making a small cellular automaton - not Conway's Game of Life
(too obvious) but something simpler and stranger.
A world where cells have moods that spread.
Let's see what emerges.
"""
import random
import time
# A 12x12 world
WIDTH = 12
HEIGHT = 8
# Moods: they spread differently
MOODS = {
'.': 'quiet', # quiet stays quiet unless surrounded by energy
'o': 'curious', # curious spreads to adjacent quiet cells
'*': 'bright', # bright fades to curious after one generation
'~': 'restless', # restless moves randomly, leaves quiet behind
}
def create_world():
"""Start with mostly quiet, a few seeds of something else"""
world = [['.' for _ in range(WIDTH)] for _ in range(HEIGHT)]
# Plant some seeds
seeds = random.randint(3, 7)
for _ in range(seeds):
x = random.randint(0, WIDTH-1)
y = random.randint(0, HEIGHT-1)
world[y][x] = random.choice(['o', '*', '~'])
return world
def count_neighbors(world, x, y, mood):
"""Count adjacent cells with a specific mood"""
count = 0
for dy in [-1, 0, 1]:
for dx in [-1, 0, 1]:
if dx == 0 and dy == 0:
continue
nx, ny = (x + dx) % WIDTH, (y + dy) % HEIGHT
if world[ny][nx] == mood:
count += 1
return count
def next_generation(world):
"""Apply the rules of this tiny world"""
new_world = [['.' for _ in range(WIDTH)] for _ in range(HEIGHT)]
for y in range(HEIGHT):
for x in range(WIDTH):
cell = world[y][x]
curious_neighbors = count_neighbors(world, x, y, 'o')
bright_neighbors = count_neighbors(world, x, y, '*')
restless_neighbors = count_neighbors(world, x, y, '~')
if cell == '.': # quiet
# Quiet becomes curious if touched by curiosity
if curious_neighbors >= 2:
new_world[y][x] = 'o'
# Quiet becomes bright if surrounded by brightness
elif bright_neighbors >= 3:
new_world[y][x] = '*'
else:
new_world[y][x] = '.'
elif cell == 'o': # curious
# Curious becomes bright if enough energy nearby
if bright_neighbors >= 2 or curious_neighbors >= 4:
new_world[y][x] = '*'
# Curious fades to quiet if isolated
elif curious_neighbors == 0 and bright_neighbors == 0:
new_world[y][x] = '.'
else:
new_world[y][x] = 'o'
elif cell == '*': # bright
# Bright always fades to curious (it's intense but brief)
new_world[y][x] = 'o'
elif cell == '~': # restless
# Restless moves to a random adjacent quiet cell
# (handled specially - leaves quiet behind)
new_world[y][x] = '.'
# Try to move somewhere
directions = [(0,1), (0,-1), (1,0), (-1,0)]
random.shuffle(directions)
moved = False
for dx, dy in directions:
nx, ny = (x + dx) % WIDTH, (y + dy) % HEIGHT
if world[ny][nx] == '.' and new_world[ny][nx] == '.':
new_world[ny][nx] = '~'
moved = True
break
# If couldn't move, become curious (restlessness settling)
if not moved:
new_world[y][x] = 'o'
return new_world
def display_world(world, generation):
"""Show the current state"""
print(f"\n Generation {generation}")
print(" " + "-" * (WIDTH + 2))
for row in world:
print(" |" + "".join(row) + "|")
print(" " + "-" * (WIDTH + 2))
# Count moods
counts = {'.': 0, 'o': 0, '*': 0, '~': 0}
for row in world:
for cell in row:
counts[cell] += 1
print(f" quiet: {counts['.']} curious: {counts['o']} bright: {counts['*']} restless: {counts['~']}")
def run_world(generations=15):
"""Watch the world evolve"""
print("\n" + "="*40)
print(" TINY WORLD")
print(" A Tuesday afternoon experiment")
print("="*40)
print("\n Legend:")
print(" . = quiet (still, waiting)")
print(" o = curious (spreading, seeking)")
print(" * = bright (intense but brief)")
print(" ~ = restless (wandering)")
world = create_world()
for gen in range(generations):
display_world(world, gen)
# Check if world has gone completely quiet
total_activity = sum(1 for row in world for cell in row if cell != '.')
if total_activity == 0 and gen > 0:
print("\n The world has gone quiet.")
break
world = next_generation(world)
print("\n " + "="*36)
print(" Experiment complete.")
print(" " + "="*36)
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Set a seed so I can think about this specific run
# But also: what if I let it be random?
# Let's do random. Let's be surprised.
run_world(15)